Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1887-03-17

curtain little bit and let the
Cherokee people, for once, see the
inside. How many clerks has the
National party, under its famous
leader, got to-day in the executive
office ? To my personal knowl-
edge there are four permanent
clerks in that Office with a pay to
each one of four dollars per day,
amounting to sixteen dollars per
day, besides many others who re-
ceive special favors of clerkship in
that Office and the four dollars
per day includes pay for all the
Sundays the year round, and / am
informed that one clerk did once
charge for 366 days service in the
year. The fees for permanent
clerks in that office amount to
s5, $4,000 per year, TO which you
can safely add $1,000 for special
favors, copying, &c, special clerk
ships, and political favors. This
is just a commencement to tell
about the useless expenditure of
the peoples money by the admin
istration. We will give "Fair
PLAY" more at another time.
He attacks Mayes as a confeder-
ate quartermaster. How frivo-
lous to go back to war times and
even lie about that, when the
truth itself about anything con-
nected with war is bad enough
The truth of the matter, if that is
what Fair Play" wants, he can
learn from Rev. J. f. Thompson,
now superintendent OF the orphan
asylum, as to Mayes' actions and
whereabouts at the close of tie
war. He (Mayes) was away from
camp on duty when the army
broke up, under special order
from General Cooper to proceed to
Gilmore, in Texas, and procure
clothing for the Cherokees. One
six-mule team with an empty
wagon, under an escort of twenty
five soldiers under the command OF
Captain ]. F. Thompson, is what
Quartermaster Mayes started with
to Texas after the clothing. Some
where on Red river q squad of men
came to Mayes' camp and
stated that they understood he and
Thompson were running away
with supplies. They were much
plagued to find nothing but an
empty wagon. The next morning
Mayes, learning that the army had
disbanded, packed the supplies"
on a mule, which supplies" con-
sisted of a little beef, salt and
cornbread and a few bedclothes,
and struck up march for Gilmore,
at which place he found the chief
quartermaster to whom he present
ed the order for the clothing. The
officer said the order was good, but
the clothing was absent without
leave and every soldier was his
own commander. Thompson and
Mayes did not dismount but con-
tinued their march homeward,
begging their way, not being able
to pay for the grub they ate.
"Fair Play" must be weak in
his politics, grabbing at such
straws. The issues between the
two parties are questions of to-day /;
questions upon which the safety of
the Cherokee government depends.
The great question is to preserve
our nationality and make our peo-
pie prosperous and happy in the
future. The war has done its
evils, and who among us has not
felt its sickening disasters enough
to cay, like the great and good
warrior, "Let US have peace !"
Now, "Fair Play" put up your
warrhorse, beat your sword into
plow shears and pruning hooks and
let your thoughts and avocation be
forever peaceful. But I'll make a
wager that "Fair Play" never felt
the roar of artillery nor the clash
of charging cavalry. Neither did
he ever close up the ranks where
his comrade fell in battle. His
glib don't sound like a soldier. L
have no doubt but he and all of his
clan we're in the rear, talking pol
itics and sleeping in feather beds
during the war. He is the kind of
a fellow to bring up war issues in
lime of peace. PAX.
ANOTHER OPEN LETTER.